Hotties Exclusive First Look

Hot Or Not and similar services have been around for years now. For the unfamiliar, these sites allow you to post pictures and biographical info, and rate the pictures of other users. Interested parties can contact one another for friendship or dating. Infospace's Hotties brings this same formula to mobile phones, allowing users to upload self-portraits, presumably taken at advantageous angles, and receive barely-guised solicitations for sex...or just friendly chat, depending on which sort of relationships they cultivate.

These pictures can be rated by other users in two ways. You can simply view random photos, sorted by zip code, and assign them numerical ratings. Alternately, you can play "face off," which simultaneously shows you pictures from two users, and asks you to choose the one you favor. Win/loss records will be posted on participating users' profiles.

You can also post miniature blogs, to be read and commented on by users browsing your profile. For example, you might post that your cat has died, and concerned readers will compose comments such as, "girl u fine let me holla at chu." If you're interested in contacting those users, you can send a "flirt-gram" their way. People spend hours on similar services, like MySpace, so the addictive potential of Hotties is considerable.

Our feelings were mixed upon learning that Hotties will deliver viral advertisements to its subscribers, and survey them on their favorite brands and products, making this game in part a market research tool. We were told that, each day, users will be greeted by a question, should they choose to opt-in for promotional offers.

Nonetheless, Hotties sounds like an enticing prospect, and potentially another way for people with mobile phones to keep connected. Few mobile apps play to the strengths of the platform so well as Hotties, which will put your mobile's camera and connectivity features to good use.